The One and Only King of Magic
by xXxVolpexXx
Summary: Moses King is the only child of an upper-class family, his father works for the president of the U.S.A. He has always been different and at age eleven finds himself whisked off to the Alterra Academy of Magical Education and into the world of magic.
1. Chapter One

A/n: This is something very different from what I usually write, and read. I sort of got drawn in by the idea of magic in other countries and how things would be there. Anything relating back to Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling.

**The One and Only King of Magic**

=Chapter One=

He was perfect. From the moment his father had first held him in his arms, Moses King was the shining star in his father's life. From the moment he had been brought home he became the highlight of any visiting party's day. His grandfather called it 'The King Family Trait', the amazing ability to be loved and adored by anyone and everyone.

Moses' father David had used the King family trait to work his way up into parliament, working closely with the President of the U.S.A himself, despite being an African American. It was the family Trait that had blessed David King with a beautiful and intelligent wife, Maria. He had met her at an orchestra performance and had been taken with her from the moment he laid eyes on her playing the cello with a passion. Two years later they were married and their life was flourishing, they had a fabulous house, good jobs and were as happy as possible. However four years later, when she fell pregnant, Maria's life went downhill. A workmate had replaced her position in the orchestra and her parents, who were not the most agreeable of people, found out about their future grandchild. The next nine months were difficult and stressful, particularly when she ended overdue and the size of a small planet.

Things only got better for David who found himself with a very high paying job as the President's treasurer, a lot of responsibility and new found social status. It was everything that David had worked so hard towards. He didn't make things easier for Maria with moving to a more upper-class suburb with the rich and famous, and all the outings and functions but she was happy he had achieved his dream and didn't want to burst his bubble. Then on the 1st of January 1994 Moses Zachary King was born.

The perfect child he was. He attended the best private primary school and did very well. Moses played a range of sports from soccer to tennis and succeeded at each. He had many different hobbies and interests. His mother could not have been more pleased when he started learning the piano at four and never stopped. Moses hardly ever saw his parents though, not that he let it bother him. He found solace in books, whenever he found time amidst his busy scheduled day Moses would be found with a book in hand. He was a friendly boy but had very few friends due to his odd habits. He often was around when things went wrong, or someone got hurt, and some even blamed him for all the weird things that happened. Moses couldn't explain anything; he had no clue why things just happened around him.

Life was perfect and peaceful, David and Maria were happy and successful and over the years their son hid the odd happenings that occurred, not wanting to spoil their happiness and afraid for himself.

It wasn't until the 29th of July, 2005, that the King family's peace was upset.

---

Professor Jeffrey Grant was getting incredibly bored, having been saddled with the irritating task of visiting each and every muggleborn witch or wizard who would be attending the Alterra Academy of Magical Education, fondly known as the AA to students. Grant had visited over twelve families so far, the reactions always varying. Being muggleborn himself Grant understood the trials and tribulations faced by magical children from non-magical families but it bothered him that the staff sent the muggleborn teacher to do the job. Muggleborns were just as respected as any other wizard in the U.S. but there would always be racism in minor forms.

Moses King, was the next name on the list, and from the small file that the American Ministry had on him, he had been magically active since he was very young. Most wizards assumed that that surely meant his parents would have realised something but that was not the case most of the time, Grant found. The boy's parents were affluent and Grant wasn't sure whether or not that would make this conversation more difficult. With a near soundless apparition Grant bypassed the large wrought iron gates around the countryside estate, a summer home to file stated, a stood on their doorstep. Opening the door Grant found himself in an impressive looking foyer and being stared at oddly by a receptionist.

"Hello, can I help you?"

"Yes, actually, I'm looking to speak with Mr and Mrs King about their son, Moses" Grant hoped she wouldn't tell him he'd have to make an appointment because that was not the way the school did things.

"Well, Mr and Mrs King aren't busy today so… You said you needed to speak to them regarding their son?" The reception picked up the phone, but her fingers hesitated over the buttons as she asked the question.

"Yes, about his schooling come this September," Grant smiled, hoping it might help the situation somewhat.

"Why didn't you say so to begin with?" the reception gave him a big smile and made the call.

He took a seat. He had to wait five minutes apparently while a housemaid arrived to escort him to the drawing room. Once the maid came Grant found himself walking through the halls of the manor admiring its grandeur, and the King's good taste in décor. Old and expensive looking portraits and paintings adorned the walls here and there. Through the window they passed he got a glimpse of an impressive looking garden full of flowers in bloom. Grant sincerely hoped he wouldn't be dealing with a spoilt brat who though he was all-powerful because he could do things that the muggles couldn't. A door opened and Grant was greeted by both Mr and Mrs King. Sitting down, accepting the maid's offer of coffee or tea Grant couldn't help but notice that the King's were as attractive as their house.

"So, Charity explained that you're here regarding Moses' education come September," David King stated more than asked.

"Yes, I have to tell you, and this may be hard to here, but Moses," Here grant turned toward the young boy, "you are a wizard,"

Mrs King's delicate French china tea cup smashed on the magnificent hardwood floor.

"What nonsense is this?" Mr King huffed.

"It isn't nonsense Mr King. Moses have you ever been around when something odd happened, something impossible, and felt as though maybe you have something to do with it?" Grant hoped the boy would help him out here.

"Is it possible for things to vanish randomly and for things to move by themselves when they otherwise wouldn't?" The boy looked as though he wasn't sure whether or not this was a joke of some sort.

"Yes, because you are a wizard Moses, our records have you performing accidental magic since you were only two years old," Grant admittedly was impressed by that little detail.

"Prove it," David King uttered, looking expectantly and threateningly at the wizard before him. With a careless swish of his wand and a 'reparo' the tea cup was fixed, sitting on the table. Mrs King looked astonished, and probably pleased, that her tea cup was back to its original state.

"That was pretty convincing," Moses said, stunned but smiling.

"Yes, I suppose it was;" Mr King said, "Now how does this pertain to his education Mr Grant?"

"Moses has been accepted to a wizarding school Mr King, the Alterra Academy of Magical Education, and we hope you will permit him to attend," Mr Grant had never had a parent refuse to allow their child to attend, in the decade he had been teaching and he didn't want to start with this child.

"David, what are we supposed to do, send him there and tell our friends and family what?" Mrs King worried.

"Well, what happens if we don't send him?" Mr King looked at his wife, when he should have asked Grant.

"His accidental magic would become stronger and more frequent, causing problems and creating inevitable awkward and unexplainable situations,"

"Okay then, I want to know about the curriculum at this Academy then," Mrs King looked at Grant with distaste. She wasn't a silly women, if she had never heard anything of this topic then they must be hidden which would mean her son would be boarding at the school.

"The Academy has a fantastic curriculum. All Ineo take six core subjects being Transfiguration, Charms, Potion, Defence, Herbology and Fundamentals." Grant smiled warmly, remembering his Ineo years at the Academy.

"What is an Ineo?" Mr King enquired.

"'Ineo' is the term for students studying their first three years. Then we have the fourth, fifth and sixth years, our 'Medius', who begin electives along with five of the six core subjects. Then we have our 'Peractio', the seventh and eight years, who select their own classes." Grant explained, usually the further he got into the explanation the more confused parents became but Mr and Mrs King both seemed to follow easily.

"Oh, almost forgot, our elective classes include some non-magical subjects like geography, history both magical and non-magical though I'm not sure if we still offer chemistry." Grant hoped their familiarity with such subjects would appeal to them.

"Okay, I think we both agree you're not insane and that everything you have just said is real but before we consent, I want to see one thing," Mr King looked directly at Grant and Grant had no clue where this was going to go.

"If Moses is indeed and actual… wizard, then he should be able to do something with that stick you wave about too," Mr King tried to sound formal about but Grant saw the end of his mouth switch in amusement.

Grant sighed, the school board had strictly forbidden him from doing this very thing after the events that ensued when he did so last time. The result was a multi-coloured poodle that developed the ability to breathe fire. The Board had not been impressed. Looking at Moses, who didn't look particularly like either parent but an equal blend of both, Grant hoped he didn't do something dangerous as he handed the boy his wand. With an upwards flick of it, the teacup rose into the air, where Mrs King quickly grabbed it encase it dropped onto the floor again. Moses looked at the wand in his hand, smiled a little, and handed it back. Grant felt like laughing with relief.

"So you need to aware that transport to school is by aeroplane, a private one of course, from the Ronal Reagan Washington Airport. Of course I have here with me a folder containing all necessary information and application." Grant conjured the folder with another flick of his wand. He realised that Moses himself was rather silent. This didn't surprise Grant, the boys file had said that his father was an important muggle politician and his mother extremely well educated. Looking at the boy Grant realised how much of himself he saw in the child. There was the same reserved awe of magic and a fierce need to branch out and become an individual.

"I will be back sometime in the next month before school begins to take Moses to Emrys City. This is an entirely wizarding city and it has all the shops provided books and uniform in its shopping district. I will also be bringing another teacher and other children who have non-magical parents with us to the city. You are more than welcome to accompany us," Grant offered after explaining.

"We lead a rather busy life Mr Grant; I'll make sure we schedule time to accompany Moses next year when he'll be able to help us out." Mrs King smiled at him.

With that they had all said their goodbyes and Grant was being lead away by the housemaid. He was more than pleased with how that went. Moses King had been the last child he had to visit and now he faced the cheery prospect of apparating to the school staff meeting and retelling the events of each and every house visit he had made in the last two days. He waved to Charity, the receptionist, on the way out the front door. Looking around carefully Grant decided all was safe and apparated to the golden gate that marked the entrance to the Alterra Academy. A muttered spell specially keyed to the gate caused a portkey to appear, it took Grant straight to the staff room where several of the teachers were currently helping themselves to coffee and biscuits waiting for the arrival of their colleagues.

Ten minutes later and the Academy's twenty five plus school teachers were all seated around an incredible large and round rouble. Each one spoke of one thing or another and Grant dutifully relayed the reactions of the parents. Four hours later he was free to go home and lounge by the pool.

---

In his room Moses was unsure. His parents had seemed to react well but he had seen his father react well at work, and then be upset or angry at home when no one was around. Sighing, the boy decided to clean up his room, a habit when things were bothering him.

There wasn't much cleaning for him to do though. His room was always kept pretty clean because his parents wouldn't stand for their perfect son to have a messy room. A piano, two large bookshelves, assorted sports equipment and stereo were placed amongst his room neatly. Books stood neatly in the full shelves and were piled on random flat surfaces. He remembered when he had visited his father's friend once. He had had a son that Moses was told to go and play with and they had found themselves in the other boy's room. It had had a television and X-Box, assorted games and posters, the bed had only been a single but the sheets had had superheros on them. The other boy's room was also, not messy as such, but disorganised and scrambled. Moses guessed that that was what most kid's rooms looked like. His didn't, it looked like a room belonging to a grown up.

Throwing down the book he had been about to put away, Moses picked up his soccer ball and headed outside to play… in his good clothes.

---

Mr and Mrs King were in their room talking. Mrs King was worried, she loved her son so much and he was such a good boy. She didn't want him picking up bad habits from these other strange children. Mr King was still processing the idea that magic did indeed exist and that his only son, his only child, could use it. This put a stop to all of David King's plans to have his son join politics and become a prominent and important member of both the political and upper class parties. Then there was how this would affect Moses, himself. Would he hate this new and strange world like his father hoped he would or would he embrace it and join it. There were so many questions that both Mr and Mrs King wanted answers to but none of them could be answered by anyone other than Moses and he had no idea.

---

Four hours later Moses walked back to the house cold, for it was getting late, sweaty and covered in dirt but he was smiling. He was, by his watch, due to sit down and have dinner in fifteen minutes. Breathily heavily Moses navigated his way through the house to his room leaving a trail of mud and dirt behind him. He got changed, out of courtesy, and made his way to the dining room slowly.

---

The day had finally come when Moses was lounging in the foyer, a book in his hand. August weather was good and his parents were away when Grant made reappearance. This time however, he was dressed differently. Moses was up and out the door quickly.

"Hello, eager are we?" Grant chuckled.

"Sure, let's go," Moses looked at the man.

"We're going to apparated to the location where everyone is waiting to hold on tight to my arm." Grant explained. Moses frowned; he didn't need to hold onto him as far as his mind was concerned.

"You have to or I'll just apparated away without you," Reluctantly Moses took his arm and felt a pull behind his navel. When he opened his eyes he was in an empty café, by the looks of it, and a group of children his own age stood with another adult. She was older than Grant, with steel grey hair, blue eyes and a plump smiling face.

"Alright children," she called gaining everyone's attention, "I'm Professor Ramón and you all know Professor Grant, today we're shopping for school supplies, now I know some of you had queries about how you are going to pay for all of this. The school has a special fund that provides all muggleborn students with financial assistance if needed. Today we will pay the full costs of your shopping and you parents will be notified that a certain amount of their money will be removed from their bank accounts to pay back the school."

"So let's split you into two groups," and Ramón did so. Moses soon found himself being led down a busy street by Professor Ramón. None of the other children in the group looked like they wanted to try and make friends with him. Moses didn't care because it was the various shops and on goings of the street that held his attention. Random objects floated around or disappeared and appeared somewhere else. Everything was colourful and alive, noisy yet peaceful and Moses found himself excited at the prospect of a magical school.

The first stop was for school uniforms and the woman in the store was very nice to all of them. The inside of the shop was just as amazing as the street outside. Folded amounts of fabric flew from place to place when they were needed, things cut or sewed themselves and the till worked itself. Moses was amused at how plain and boring his life had been just weeks ago. His turn was last and Ramón was busy keeping the other children from running off in the waiting room. The robes, as the teachers called them, were very nice. The oxford shirts were a very pale beige, the trousers brown and the robe itself a slightly darker brown. The emblem on the shirt was fancy, a sphere half a silver moon, half a golden sun hovering right over an open book with "Alterra Academy" written in script below that. Each student was given five sets of school robes and a physical education outfit consisting of shorts and polo shirt.

Moses had asked the professor about sports class, she had said that there wasn't one but students were given a log book and were expected to get at least four hours of exercise each week, in their own time. Their next stop was the book shop, Scrolls and Scriptures. There they had to collect their books. Moses noticed that wizards had weird names. The man in the shop offered to help him find them since he was lagging behind the group. Moses looked at his booklist, helping the shopkeeper.

_The Ineo First Year Booklist is as follows:_

_The Basics of Transfiguration by Lucretius Del Mari_

_Charming Spells and Enchantments by Topher Aeolian_

_First Steps into Potions by Daedalo Malcolm _

_Magical Protection, Defence for Learners by Flavya Draconis_

_School Fundamentals: Learning, Reading, Writing and Study by Castle Moore_

The shop owner explained to Moses that Fundamentals class was a class where they went over reading, writing, learning in class and efficient study by ones' self. Having attended a prestigious private school Moses knew that he would do well in that particular class. It was his other classes that he was excited to get started on. Everything about magic and this magical world just jumped out at Moses, he felt like he needed to learn as much as possible. He couldn't imagine how great it would have been to be raised in such a world. He was usual a calm and content person, even when the most joyous occasion came around, but he felt like smiling.

"Come along Mr King," Ramón called. Moses caught up with the group, still looking around at the shops and taking in as much as possible. He found that their next stop was a shop called Picassos'. As it turned out Reinhardt Picasso was a wandmaker. He didn't look like one. Moses had seen many pictures of Albert Einstein over the years and the resemblance between Einstein and Picasso was amusing. He had a quick chat with Ramón and got to work in equipping the other Muggleborns with wands. There was a lot of whispering and giggling, sparks flying everywhere and muttering from Picasso. One by one everyone found their wand, one that fitted them perfectly.

"And you are?" Picasso addressed him.

"Moses King, sir," Moses looked up at the odd old man.

"Do you know how we narrow down wand choices for a person?"

"No, sir, I don't." Moses said. Mentally he thought, _but I am curious though_.

"Here," Picasso handed him a few sheets of paper, "We find out your wand wood and core using a questionnaire,"

Moses used the pen that the man handed him and filled it out. It narrowed down his birth date and asked a few questions about what sort of a person he was. He had tried outright lying but the pen hadn't allowed him too, Moses guessed it was magical. Done with the questionnaire Moses handed it back to Picasso.

"Hmm, Birch wood that's for sure, definitely. Core, core… intelligent child, independent and self-willed, let's see… try this wand Mr King. Birch and Kelpie hair, twelve inches, good for all spells," Picasso opened a draw at his desk and in it was a box. Pulling it out and opening it, he picked up the wand and handed it to Moses.

Moses flicked it upwards much the same way he had when he had tried Professor Grant's. Nothing happened though and Moses felt a little put off.

"Okay, certainly not Kelpie hair then, okay, alright… well, you're not Irish so that narrows it down" the man muttered and Moses furrowed his brow. What did being Irish have to do with anything?

"Aha! This is birch too, the core is phoenix feather though and it's ten and half inches, give it a try,"

Moses flicked it at the lamp on the desk this time; maybe a smaller target would achieve better results. Still, nothing happened.

"Not phoenix father either obviously, so this one… Dragon heartstring," Picasso handed him another wand. This one had the same result, nothing. Moses tried a few more something with Ash, another with hippogriff something, more types of hair and a fang one. All up, seventeen wands later Mr Picasso was getting a bit annoyed. H e trotted into the back room and came back with a box, looking like he hoped it would be the last. Moses did too; Professor Ramón had come to watch, though keeping an eye on the other children in the group. Grant had joined them, his group having already gotten theirs. After this they were to go the apothecary and the menagerie in one big group.

"Do you think this one will finally be it, Picasso?" Grant asked.

"I hope so, though I have always been unwilling to let anyone try this particular wand but he's having no luck and this wand has never found a match so… let's see how it goes," Picasso pulled the wand out of the box and handed it to Moses. Pointing it at the lamp and flicking the wand upwards the lamp rose, and promptly smashed into the roof. Moses was about to drop the wand when gold and silver glittery dust seem to come from it. It felt right, not odd or awkward like all of the others.

"He mentioned he could use your wand Grant. However your core is a very small amount of chimera scale, still it's powerful though. This wand is birch, you really suit the birch wood, the core is chimera scale like Grant's but a much larger amount, extremely powerful young man so don't abuse it, I believe the length is thirteen and a half inches," Picasso said, with a flick of his own wand his lamp was repaired and Moses, the professors and the other children were being ushered away.

Looking down at the wrapped wand box Moses felt everything sink in. This meant he was indeed a wizard, he could indeed do magic and no, the Alterra Academy had not in fact made a mistake.

---

Moses sat in his room that night thinking about the events of his day after he had gotten his wand. The apothecary had been a big old room covered in dusty old shelves full of different ingredients that he was told were used in potions. There they had also bought their pewter cauldrons, silver knives and glass phials.

While he had been picking up everything he needed, Moses had listened to the two professors conversing. It seemed that Professor Grant taught Magical Healing to Medius and Peractio students while Professor Ramón taught Fundamentals to the Ineo students. They had chatted about their classes and certain students, troublesome and well behaved. Moses was eager to begin school, to make friends he hoped. None of the muggleborn children showed any interest in him so maybe some of the others would, at school. At the menagerie Moses and the other children had been told that each student was allowed one pet at the Academy, and they were allowed to run around the shop and pick one, along with everything they would need to care for it.

Moses' parents had not been big fans of pets. Pets ran around, shed and made a mess, all things they would not stand for. At first he had planned on just not looking and refusing to pick one. That had been before he had accidently stumbled on the puppy. It was the funniest but cutest thing he had ever seen. The sign said it was a Tervueren, a Belgian Sheppard. It had a black face and the fur on its body started out brown but the tips slowly turned black. Moses picked it up and noticed that the sign said it was a boy. He knew how much his parents would hate it, just by looking at it. That just made Moses want him more. He loved his parents but they had denied him everyday things that most children got or experienced. Moses walked through the shop picking things up for the dog.

At the end of the day when he had gotten home, his parents were still away. The dog, named Hero, had curled himself up on his new bed, on the floor at the foot of Moses' double bed. Sighing, knowing well that his parents would probably be very late home Moses decided to go to bed. It was ten and if he wasn't in bed soon he would sleep in, another thing his parents didn't agree with.

Moses dreamed of the magical school that awaited him, the friends he sincerely hoped he would and all the things he was determined to learn.

---

A/n: Next update will be in a few days to a week. Long holidays mean I can actually update. Tell me what you think, suggestions are welcome also.

xXxVolpexXx


	2. Chapter 2

A/n: Chapter Two up. I really am enjoying writing this.

**The One and Only King of Magic**

=Chapter Two=

August 31st. It had been two weeks since Moses had been shopping for school supplies in Emrys City and he had been patiently waiting for this day since. His parents had been uninterested in how his shopping had gone and not particularly polite when he had tried talking about all the awesome things he had seen while he was there. His parent's had grudgingly agreed to let him keep Hero, though the dog was to spend all day outside. Moses had no complaints about that though as he spent most of his summer outside anyway. He was going to miss playing for his local sports teams when he went away to school but he would get to play them with other people at school. His parents had figured out the cover story they were going to use when people started to ask questions. They decided they would say that Moses had gone to a prestigious private boarding school in Denmark. It was pretty foolproof since most of their acquaintances would be too busy working to look into it. Moses felt uneasy about the lie at first; he wondered why they couldn't just tell people. He was smart though and quickly realised no one would believe them, they'd probably think they were insane. David King could not have any such thing interfere in his work.

Hero, being a puppy, was still growing and Moses could tell he was going to get pretty big. His mother was actually beginning to fear him. He was rather boisterous and he had no qualms with tackling Moses to the ground for a wrestling match, something that amused Moses and terrified his mother. Even though Moses had discovered he was magical, not much had changed. His life at the present was still very much the same. Sometimes, he woke up in the middle of the night thinking it had all been a dream. This was why he had taken to leaving his wand on his bedside table. It was a constant reminder that he was actually a wizard, and he could really perform magic.

Before he could go anywhere he had to pack. It proved simple enough but time consuming. Moses was an incredibly organised person and his brand new trunk would not be an exception. Books were placed in a certain area, in a certain way as were all his other possessions. Apart from everything he had bought at Emrys city he also packed his soccer ball, some of his favourite books and everyday clothes for the weekends. His mother had distaste for jeans so Moses had never owned any; all of his clothes were what most people would call 'preppy'. Well, with how fancy everything about the school appeared that may not have been a bad thing. His parents, even though they were unsure about this entire situation, had been considerate enough to by him a day and homework planner. It was a very expensive one, Moses could tell from the leather cover and fine looking paper and print.

He was surprised that he would be travelling to the school via a 'muggle' aeroplane. The word was odd and using such a word when referring to his parents felt wrong, merely because he did magic and they did not. Moses was both surprised and happy when his grandfather payed him a visit in the early afternoon before he was due to catch his plane.

"My son is sending you to a private boarding school in Denmark? I don't believe that for a moment Moses, you don't even speak freaking Danish!" The aging Harley King grumbled.

"I know," Moses muttered.

"So, are you going to tell me the truth or am I going to have to blackmail you father?" He chuckled a bit at that.

"You honestly wouldn't believe me if I told you," Moses said, looking him straight in the eye.

"Try me, your father may not speak to me very often anymore but we have always gotten along," Harley encouraged him; he knew how little time he spent with David and must have had an impact on his grandson.

"Okay, here goes nothing… I'm a wizard and later this afternoon I'm catching a plane from Washington Airport that's going to take me to a school for magical children where things float, disappear and change shape," As Harley watched Moses he could see his grandson was being quite serious.

"Well, it sounds more interesting than staying here," Harley chuckled. He was not sure how he was taking this, his grandson was not a liar nor was he much of a child, David had made sure of that.

"I know you don't know what to think, watch this though," His grandson said, picking up the stick of wood on his bedside table and give it a flick. A book that had been sitting on the floor zoomed up and thudded the roof.

"I don't have much control over it, and I'm not actually supposed to do magic outside of school but the magical government hasn't sent me any warning about it like the Professors said they would if we did do magic before school," Moses shrugged. Harley was shocked, and somehow he knew he was actually proud. His grandson could do something most people had only dreamt about.

"Well, best not tempt them, then," Harley's voice was slow and soft this time. As if he had stumbled across something he shouldn't have seen, which he supposed he had.

"I'm going to be gone until Christmas, which is scary and exciting. I apparently magical people communicate with letters sent by owls," Moses said. Harley could see his grandson was excited, he showed it in his own calm way.

"Owls? They send letters using owls?" Harley laughed.

"I know it seems a bit silly to me too. I mean, you wouldn't think an owl would be very reliable, or fast, no matter how well they were trained. I don't think they use telephones or cell phones, Professor Ramón said they were muggle devices so they don't have them," Moses explained, thinking as he went, as he so often did.

"Muggle?" his grandfather asked.

"Yes, it's the word magical people call non-magical people. I think it's rude but then again you do need some sort of term to separate them from magical people I suppose,"

"It does sound a bit rude though doesn't it?" Moses nodded in agreement.

"I heard you got a dog?" Moses quickly went on to tell him all about Hero as they walked from Moses' room to the backyard. He also explained how he was able to buy all his school book because magical people had a different form of currency. It felt good to tell his grandfather all about. His grandfather paid attention and asked lots of questions, some of which Moses swore to answer in an owl. His grandfather looked forward to seeing an owl during his breakfast.

Hero was thrilled to meet a person who didn't think he was a menace. Moses' grandfather seemed to like Hero a lot. Moses was amused when his grandfather asked if the dog did anything magical, as far as Moses knew Hero was an ordinary dog. They talked for a while. Soon it was time for Moses to leave for his plane. His grandfather happily helped him to bring his trunk down to the foyer, surprised at how heavy it was. He noticed that on its front was the school insignia and below it was a fancily scrawled M.Z. King. His mother and father were waiting in the foyer, both looking like they always did. Clean, sophisticated and professional and it made Moses wish for once they could be like normal parents who wore jeans and ugly hand-made sweaters. He hugged his grandfather goodbye and exited the trunk, noticing how his father didn't offer to help the way his grandfather had. They were his parents and he knew they loved him, he just wished that they would show it more often.

The car ride in the limousine was silent and more than awkward. He noticed all the odd looks his mother was trying to hide. Moses figured she was worried about him staying clean and keeping his hair short and clipped. Well, she didn't have to worry about that, Moses planned on looking about magic that could cut hair to the casters wishes. His father was African American but his mother was Hispanic so his black grew straight, his skin was a light brown and he looked more like his mother than his father. The closer the driver brought them to the airport the more nervous he became. The plane they were going to be looking for was Flight 360 to Aspen, which Moses guessed was not the actual destination. In one hand Moses held a passport and plane tickets, which Grant and Ramón had explained that when shown to an employee of the airport, it would charm them to do what the magic wanted. Moses was told he would not have to worry about excruciatingly long waiting lines and metal detectors. Moses had flown plenty of times before and was always a bit impatient with the airlines even though they were just doing what they had to.

Finally the Ronald Reagan Washington Airport came into view. Slowly they got out, Moses got his things and the three of them made their way into the airport. His parents seemed a bit flustered as they made their way through, talking to one another quietly. It seemed they were just waiting for something odd and magical to jump out and make some sort of a scene. Unconsciously, Moses shook his head. There were children of all ages littered about and Moses wondered just how many of them were magical, headed away to school just like he was. They finally made it to the right terminal where he would board the plane. The second they sat down, his father's phone started ringing. Sometimes his father's head was practically glued to the thing. Moses listened in a little bit at first but then tuned it out; being a work call it just wasn't interesting. It was important though, important enough that Moses' father was having to leave the airport to go back to work leaving his nervous son and fearfully agitated wife behind. It didn't bother Moses that his father had to leave, he was used to it but it would have been nice to have had him there for moral support. Moses' and his mother waited a good ten minutes before she said she was going to get a drink and come back up before the plane left. Sitting alone, when he did indeed have parents, made Moses feel a bit abandoned but he didn't show it.

---

Time passed slowly when you were bored and Moses was no exception. It was the sudden presence of a boy his age, right in front of him that fixed that problem.

"Hi, where are your parents?" the boy asked, he woman behind him scowled and gave him a whack upside the head. Moses smiled as the boy rolled his eyes before receiving another soft hit.

"My father is at work and my mother is getting something to drink," Moses answered. The boy, noticing his mother was still with him, whined until she agreed to take the flu or something home.

"What do you mean by 'flu'?" Moses asked, as the boy's mother walked off.

"Oh, it's floo, F L O O, and it's a magical way of travel. You take a handful of this powder, step into a fireplace, say the location, drop the powder and BAM your there," The boy sat down next to him taking out a bag of lollies. He offered some to Moses but he wasn't big on sweets.

"I'm Moses King by the way," Moses said, realising they hadn't swapped names yet.

"Moses?" The boy questioned, crinkling his nose in funny way.

"Yes, like in the bible. It means saviour," he replied, he didn't like his name much either but it was his.

"Oh, I suppose that makes it a bit better then doesn't it? I'm Austin Jones. My name's really boring compared to yours, dude," He grinned. Moses and Austin made an odd duo, with Moses being brown and darked haired and Austin fair and blonde.

"So are you muggleborn or…" Moses tried to ask.

"No, both my parents are magical and they went to Alterra too. I thought you'd be a muggleborn anyone else would have known exactly what 'floo' meant," other boy grinned. Moses though it was a bit odd, people didn't smile so often where he was from.

The conversation from there went along easily enough. Austin was from Chicago, Illinois. What Moses didn't understand was why he bother flooing from Chicago to Washington to catch a plane, wasn't there more than one plane to Alterra? Apparently not, as Austin told him. There was only the one plane that went to Alterra; it was magically altered to fit all the students too. Austin didn't know why the plane left from Washington rather than another city though. Moses hoped Hero would be okay, wherever he had been taken. Austin did most of the talking; it seemed as if it would be difficult to shut him up as well. Moses now knew all he thought he needed to about Austin Jones. Finally the boarding call for their flight sounded and a very large group of children all with tickets lined up to board the plane. Austin looked a bit unsure about everything.

"Never been on a plane before have you?" Moses asked looking at the boy's scared expression.

"No, muggle transportation is totally safe, right?"

"Yes, though I think it will have some sort of magic if it's headed to a magical school, don't you think?"

"Yeah, of course, makes me feel loads better," Austin said, his voice dripping this sarcasm.

The plane inside was wider than any normal plane and each seat was big and cushioned. Austin and Moses found seat near a window. As it turned out Austin was afraid of flying, even though he'd never been on a plane in his life. Moses graciously took the seat right against the window leaving Austin the one next to him. Students of all ages piled in, some already wearing their school attire. The plane was buzzing with noise and people shoving on another to get their preferred seat. Finally the flow of kids slowed down and everyone took their seats and talking amongst themselves quietly.

"Good afternoon we ask buckle up now please, we will inform you when you are able to undo them. For those of you who are new to our flight, the journey to Alterra four hours, we will arrive there at seven pm, enjoy your flight," a voice informed them.

"Four hours, I can take four hours on a plane," Austin muttered.

"Don't worry, time flies by," Moses said and inwardly chuckled.

Time did fly by for Moses and Austin, they chatted about whatever came into Austin's head. It really was a good thing that he was a talkative person; it meant he was easily calmed down. Austin talked about his family, parents both magical but separated with two sisters who lived with his father in England and went to some magical school which went by the ridiculous name of Hogwarts. Moses explained his family and how their jobs, his fathers, impacted on his life. It seemed that neither of them had the ideal family situation that they felt should have had. Moses asked about Alterra and what Austin knew about it.

"Well, it's a magical school, duh, and it's pretty conservative like a muggle prep school, I suppose. It's private so the ministry can't interfere and all that crap. My mum says that it's got really high standards in like work and behaviour and stuff. It's also said be really competitive with sports and grades and all of that. Erm, I heard that they have the ministry keep tabs on magical children and Alterra only takes the ones that show lots of magical potential and do well in early schooling," Austin didn't know as much about the Academy as Moses had hoped but he knew enough to spark Moses interests further.

"It does sound a lot like a private prep school. I bet one detention would be considered the end of your magical career there," Moses stated aloud. Austin laughed and nodded. Moses didn't think it was funny though, he planned on never doing anything that would have him expelled because it would mean the end of his venture into magic if his parents found out.

"Yeah, you should have heard the lecture my mum gave me. It was all 'do well, try hard' and 'if I get one letter of complaint home you'll receive more than a howler, young man' but I didn't really pay much attention after that point," Austin mused. Moses however wanted to know about the howler.

"What, exactly, is a howler?"

"Oh, right, muggleborn, honestly you'd think I'd remember but you act like a pureblood. A howler is a letter that magically speaks for the person who wrote it, they're used when someone wants to give some a yelling at mostly, really embarrassing though luckily you'll never get sent one," Austin said looking at him like he was the luckiest man alive. Moses was willing to bet that if he did something bad enough, and his parents had the ability to write and send one, he would probably get one.

Moses looked out the window from time to time, wondering just where they were going. He became more confused as the plane started passing over water. The sun was setting and it painted the horizon a fabulous mix of orange and pink. As the plane continued Moses saw an island, an island he thought was probably where the school was located. The closer the plane got to the island the more noticeable the building located on it were. Soon everyone was putting their seatbelts back on and preparing for landing. Austin looked a bit panicked as he buckled up his seatbelt. Moses wasn't panicked or worried at all, so far the entire flight, including the takeoff, had been smooth. The plane landed and Austin immediately calmed down. One by one different sections of the plane exited, and both Moses and Austin were glad to be out of the plane and able to stretch their legs. Outside the other students all stood around and caught up with their friends. It wasn't long before the plane had been emptied and three different teachers, all new faces to Moses, stood before them. A whistled sounded and a woman in her sixties spoke,

"Welcome back to Alterra Academy everyone, an especially warm welcome to our new first years. Now, for those of you who don't know how this works, our Ineo students will follow Professor Hawker once we reach the main building, composed of the dining rooms, one each for Ineo, Medius and Peractio, and student and staff living quarters. Professor Kolas will escort to Medius students and Peractio students will follow Professor Quentin," The woman said clearly but in a voice that brooked no argument, "Oh and I am your Headmaster, Professor Winifred Archibald."

"All students are to stick together until we reach the main building, thank you," An older man spoke, Professor Hawker if were to Moses guessed.

The mass of students began walking, the older students in front and the younger ones bringing up the rear. It was beginning to get late and Austin was getting excited though Moses could see he was beginning to tire. Soon enough the group came up to the school buildings. The buildings that Moses could see were all near white with dark blue-gray rooves. Everything was at least two stories and the buildings had rich plentiful green gardens. The ground was covered in well kept green grass with grey paved paths winding where they were needed. It was a beautiful sight to behold and left Moses wanting to explore and see everything. As they walked through the buildings slowly what was definitely the main building came into view. It was located off to the side of the main buildings, looking over the water at the edge of the island. Like the classroom buildings it was white with grey-blue roofing, and at least four stories high, square in shape, in the middle towers rose a story or so higher than the rest of the castle. It was littered with windows and looked like something from a fairytale. The fairytale image was only solidified by the pink and orange sky. Moses thought it made the houses of the upper-class families, where he grew up, look like small town houses. Austin was smiling as his eyes took it all in. Slowly, the group approached the entrance and came to standstill.

"Okay, can the Peractio students please follow me," A rather old, gangly man turned, the older students moving to follow. He looked like an odd sort of person with dark purple robes and random tufts of dark grey hair. The Medius students were called next by a bald forty-something, Professor Kolas.

The older man whom Moses had guessed to be Professor Hawker was. Older than Professor Kolas, and nicer looking, he looked to be very normal in comparison.

"Okay, that leaves all of you Ineo students with me. Now, before we go in, I should inform those of you who are new to us that we each dinner in our separate dining halls six days a week, on Sundays we all have dinner in the main dining hall where we are joined by the headmaster," Hawker explained, "I don't want have you all seated and chatting amongst yourselves while I try and explain things to you so listen up now and we can eat without interruption. Every student is given their own room with their own bathroom; do not abuse the privileges of privacy that we provide you. Breakfast is from six to seven, lunch twelve to one and dinner at seven. It is up to you organise yourselves and get to where you need to be on time, no excuses. So let's have some dinner, the second and third years are then free to go to their rooms. First years will stay behind to talk to me."

The inside of the castle was even more impressive than the outside. Everything was old and ornate, classical and beautiful. The foyer was large and open, and the hallways were just as magnificent if a little plainer. The second and third years were not anywhere near as interesting or awed by their surroundings. Moses and Austin both looked around as much as they could with all the other students around them. It wasn't long before they arrived at the Ineo dining room. Inside a small table was at the far end of the room and a few teachers already sat there chatting. Littered about the room were more tables, round unlike the rectangular one the teachers sat at. Everyone quickly took seats and Austin and Moses found themselves sitting with two boys who were also first years. Sitting on the plates were menus with entrées, main meals, desserts, drinks and accompaniments. Written in the menu was a note saying that you read the name of meal you wanted aloud and it would magically appear. Moses thought it was much better than waiting for the food to be brought out by waiters. The food was a mix of simple and fancy, and another note said that the menu changed daily. Austin was already working his way through roast potatoes, steamed vegetables and a steak while Moses was still deciding.

"Not sure what to eat?" One of the two other boys asked, his light brown hair tousled slightly, blue eyes flitting between the menu and Moses.

"No, I'm not but I think I'll go with the same as Austin," Moses said then named the meal.

"I'm Austin by the way," Austin added helpfully sticking out a hand for the boy to shake.

"I'm Jackson, just 'Jack' though," the boy replied looked speculatively and the slightly dirty hand. Austin grinned ruefully and shrugged.

"I'm Moses; it's nice to meet you. What's your name?" Moses asked, taking the initiative to talk to the fourth boy.

"Oh, sorry I'm Carter, just watching my brother and his friends act like retards," he said, his fingers going up to message his temple. Carter too had brown hair but of a darker shade and slightly curled, his eyes a light brown colour.

"How old is your brother?" Austin asked. Moses turned to look back at Carter.

"Oh, I have two, Mason is a third year, and Tyler is a fifth year. They're both arseholes though," Carter explained glaring in the direction of the boy who was his brother.

"Any of you guys have siblings?" He asked suddenly, looking much more interested.

"Oh, yeah, I have two sisters, older too, but they live in England with my dad," Austin explained.

"Wish that was the case with Mason and Tyler," Carter sighed.

"I don't have any siblings," Jack said, Moses nodded in agreement.

"So, is anyone looking forward to anything in particular while they're here?" Austin asked.

"Well, I can't wait till I'm able to make my brothers look bad, that should be fun. I really want to get into Transfiguration class as soon as possible though," Carter smiled.

"Well, I just want to make it through the year without killing myself," Jack laughed.

"What about you, Moses?"

He looked up, thinking about the question, "I suppose I want to learn everything I can about magic and the magical world, stay out of trouble and do well,"

"Stay out of trouble, not likely as long as you're friends with me," Austin snickered, making them all save Moses laugh; he just smiled and shook his head at his new friends.

The four boys chatted for the remainder of dinner. As it turned out Jack was a fabulous drawer, or so he said. It came up when they were talking about the architecture and various paintings, he said he was going to have so much draw at the Academy. Carter, as geeky as he came across in comparison to Jack and Austin, played quidditch and planned on playing at the school too. Moses spent a good fifteen minutes having quidditch explained to him by all three of the boys and thought it sounded like a lot of fun. Moses felt free to ask a lot of questions, the three boys having all grown up in the magical world would most likely know the answer. With the topic of magic came wands. Jack liked knowing about people's wands because it said things about them. Carter's wand was Hawthorne and Demiguise hair, perfect for Transfiguration. Jack's was Hazel and Ashwinder ash, the best at protection charms while Austin's was Alder and the very magical Phoenix feather. Moses just thought picking out a wand was picking out a shoe.

---

Dinner finished and Professor Hawker was eager to have them all in bed.

"Now," he explained and he led them to a set of large wood doors, "All your belongings have already been placed in your rooms, curfew for Ineo students is nine o'clock."

He led them into the room; it had a staircase in the middle of a small living room. There were five doors, for the first five of the twenty male female first years. The stairs led up to the other fifteen bedrooms, each floor set up a lot like that one. When all the girls had left to find their rooms on their floors, the boys were led down a few corridors, warned that the dorms were charmed to not allow members of the opposite sex inside. The only difference between the male and female dorms was the appearance, while the girls' had been pale pink and blue, the boys' was in warm browns and coffees with splashes of red. Hawker rattled off the list of names for each floor. Moses, Austin, Jack and Cater were disappointed to find none of them were on a floor with each other. With a stern look from Hawker they said 'see you later' and headed to their rooms. The four other boys on the top floor with Moses looked alright but Moses guessed their friends were also on other floors as they hadn't stuck around to talk to each other. The door in the corner had his name written on it in fancy gold letters.

Moses opened the door to find the room even nicer than the one he had back home. He was surprised at how fancy and expensive everything at the Academy was, even though it was a school. Much like the living rooms, Moses' bedroom was pale browny beige shades and the most comforting and inviting bedroom he had been in. The bed was king-sized and there was an actual fireplace, two windows on either side of the bed head and a plush carpet. In one corner there was a fancy desk for all his studying and a door that he guessed led to his bathroom. The wardrobe was a walk-in one, his things already put away and lying at the end of his bed was Hero, who seemed quite content. Looking up the light was in the style of a chandelier and the roof lined with wood. Moses knew he was going to have the time of his life here. If this was his bedroom he couldn't wait to get a look at all the different classrooms. Moses quickly got ready for bed. Opening the wardrobe, he admired the uniform one last time before getting to bed. Resting on the bedside table was one of the many books he had brought from home, the one he was currently reading too. Ready for bed, Moses just needed to figure out how to turn off the lights. It was then that the lights and the fire turned themselves off.

---

A/n: I am a visual person and need images to base descriptions off of, if you're the same their are links to images on my boring profile.

Next chapter by the end of the weekend most likely, reviews are appreciated.

xXxVolpexXx


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